Industry
Wildfire Defense for Transportation Infrastructure
Highway bridges, slope stabilization systems, and public works rely on miles of timber that's largely unprotected against wildfire. Wildfire Shield extends timber lifespan and keeps evacuation routes and freight corridors operational through fire events.
The Challenge
Timber transportation infrastructure is a growing wildfire liability
DOTs and transit authorities operate vast inventories of timber lagging, bridge framing, retaining walls, and signage substrates across fire-prone corridors. Most of it is unprotected — and most of it can't be quickly replaced after a fire.
When wildfire damages a highway overpass or a timber retaining wall, the closures last months. Power, water, and transit corridors go offline at exactly the moment they're most needed, and remediation costs scale with the months of detour.
Asset owners need a way to harden the timber components they already have — without rebuilding the structure in steel or concrete, and without taking the corridor offline for the upgrade itself.
The Solution
Protect the timber. Keep the corridor open.
Wildfire Shield is built on NanoTech's ICP™ platform — the insulative ceramic particle technology TIME named one of the Best Inventions of 2024. Applied to timber lagging, bridge framing, and slope stabilization assemblies, the coating slows heat transfer into the substrate and raises the effective ignition threshold under flame impingement and radiant heat — keeping critical transportation infrastructure standing through fire events.
It bonds with creosote- and CCA-treated timber, plus legacy pentachlorophenol-treated lumber still in service across DOT and rail networks. Application can typically occur with minimal traffic disruption, and the system resists ignition across multiple fire seasons — making it a long-term capital investment rather than a recurring maintenance line item.
Why DOTs and transit authorities specify Wildfire Shield
Keeps corridors operational
Reduces fire-driven closures on evacuation routes and freight corridors.
Multi-event resistance
Engineered for repeated fire exposure across decades-long asset service lives.
Non-toxic & ROW safe
Non-toxic with no hazardous off-gassing or runoff after cure — suitable for use in riparian zones, wetlands, and protected lands per project-specific environmental review.
Avoids replacement capex
Protect existing timber assets instead of rebuilding in steel or concrete.
Spec-ready documentation
Project-level specifications, application guides, and substrate guidance for procurement and review.
TIME Best Invention
Built on the ICP™ platform recognized by TIME Magazine.
Transportation infrastructure scenarios
Timber lagging slope stabilization
Soldier-pile-and-lagging walls supporting cuts and embankments along DOT routes.
Highway overpass timber components
Treated wood beams, decking, and approach structures in fire-prone corridors.
Rural & forest road bridges
Wooden bridge framing, decking, and abutments on access roads through fire-prone landscapes.
Pedestrian & equestrian bridges
Wooden public bridges in trail systems and parks adjacent to highway right-of-way.
Erosion control & retaining systems
Timber retaining walls and erosion control structures along slopes and culverts.
Timber signage substrates
Wooden support structures for signage, gantries, and roadside features.
Built for DOT and transit authority specs
Resists Multiple
Re-Ignition
Non-Toxic
Toxicity
Treated Timber
Substrate
TIME Best Inventions 2024
Recognition
Brush · Spray · Roll
Application
Made in the USA
Origin
Wildfire Shield is suited for state DOTs, transit authorities, county public works departments, and bridge owners across fire-prone regions — including validation work with Caltrans on timber lagging assemblies. NanoTech provides project-specific technical documentation, application guides, and substrate guidance to support spec packages and RFP submissions.
Transportation infrastructure FAQs
Yes. Wildfire Shield is compatible with treated timber assemblies common in DOT and rail infrastructure — including creosote- and CCA-treated timber, as well as legacy pentachlorophenol-treated lumber still in service (penta wood-preservative registrations were cancelled by EPA in 2022, but in-service inventory remains substantial). Surface preparation requirements depend on substrate condition and are confirmed during project assessment.